Award-winning metro Phoenix brewery is back open after brief closure. Here's what happened
Endia Fontanez
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.'s original Gilbert location is back open after briefly closing Thursday night due to an accident that damaged the building.
The brewpub initially announced the closure in an Instagram post on Dec. 7.
The closure happened after an accident Thursday damaged the building's exterior and interior. The pub expected to remain closed while the damage was assessed and repaired, according to the Instagram post caption.
In response to a comment on the post, Arizona Wilderness wrote, "It was an explosion of flavor! Jk (sic), we got hit by a truck."
An update posted on Dec. 8 further explained the accident, in which a semi truck crashed into an awning on the north side of the pub around 4 p.m. on Thursday. The collision caused several pipes to burst, spraying water throughout the building and damaging the structural integrity of the roof, according to the Instagram post caption.
No injuries were reported.
Owners were originally told it would be several weeks before they'd be able to reopen, but with help from crews from the Mesa and Gilbert Fire Departments, the water lines and supports were fixed and the business was able to reopen on Friday, just a day after the accident.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Mesa and Gilbert Fire Departments and the Town of Gilbert for pushing so hard to enable us to reopen. And thank you to all of YOU, the members of this beautiful community, for your messages of support. They mean more than you know," read the Dec. 8 Instagram post caption.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing is still open at its downtown Phoenix beer garden location on Roosevelt Row and will continue to sell beer in Gilbert at the Woodnotes Cellar.
The brewery recently won a gold medal at the 2023 Arizona Craft Beer Awards for its West Clear in the West Coast IPA category.
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Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly Twitter.